


Turn It Up

by BaronVonChop



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Heavy Metal, Shatterdome Shenanigans, too much metal for one hand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-25 22:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13222929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaronVonChop/pseuds/BaronVonChop
Summary: A fairly ridiculous story about the Kaidanovskys and the Hansens trying to out-metal each other.





	Turn It Up

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [guard--dog](http://guard--dog.tumblr.com/) as part of the 2017 [Pacrim Holiday Swap](http://pacrimholidayswap.tumblr.com/). I hope you like it!

Sasha and Aleksis Kaidanovsky walk into the Hong Kong Shatterdome like they already own the place. Chests out, shoulders back, they stride through the Jaeger bay, to where Cherno Alpha now stands. Their engineers are already working on the veteran Jaeger, sparks falling from its towering height as they prepare it once more for combat operations.

Sasha’s voice rings out through the bay as she calls up to the engineers, “Looks like Cherno is settling in nicely!” The engineers pause in their work, lifting goggles from their eyes as they look down to see what Sasha has to say. “Come, take a break for a moment, and let us welcome Cherno properly!”

Aleksis withdraws a bottle and a stack of cups from his jacket. The engineers grin at each other and come down. When everyone has gathered, Sasha hands out the cups and Aleksis pours everyone a hearty portion.

Sasha raises her cup. “A toast! To Cherno Alpha, the strongest and best Jaeger in the Hong Kong Shatterdome!”

“To Cherno Alpha!” the others repeat, raising their cups. They cheer and toss back big gulps from their cups.

Aleksis raises his own cup. “And to the best team any Jaeger has ever had!”

More cheers, more drinking, and more toasts follow. Soon work is forgotten, someone has filled bowls in snacks, and a portable radio is blasting death metal. The driving guitars and raucous drums occasionally distort as the little radio struggles at the limits of its capabilities. The engineers and the Kaidanovskys stand around talking, raising their voices to be heard over the music. There will be time for working on Cherno Alpha later. For now, they reminisce about past victories and boast about the future.

Shatterdome personnel occasionally pass by. Some look amused or curious, while others cast dark looks at the group. The Wei brothers don’t mind having a soundtrack to their game of basketball. Nobody voices a complaint yet, and so the Cherno Alpha team pays them no mind.

Over by Striker Eureka, Herc Hansen and his son Chuck check the readouts for a series of tests on their Jaeger. Chuck looks toward the lively Cherno crew. “The Russians seem to be making themselves at home,” he says.

His father glances over, then back at the readouts. “I reckon so.”

“They’re clearly having a good time,” Chuck adds.

Herc’s eyes remain on the readouts. “Mm-hm.”

Chuck frowns. “Someone should have a word with them.”

“Ah.” Herc looks at his son. “All right, but just a word. I don’t want to start things off on the wrong foot with them. We’ll be sharing this Shatterdome from here on out, and we’ll have to work together to defend the Breach.”

Chuck scowls, but he nods in agreement. The two Australians stroll across the bay to the Russians. When they reach the group, they stand for a few moments at the edge of the party, wondering what to do since none of the Russians has acknowledged their arrival.

Chuck nudges his father. If Herc does not want Chuck starting a fight, then Herc had better lead the conversation.

Herc clears his throat. “Welcome,” he says, speaking loudly to be heard above the music and conversations.

Sasha pauses her conversation to glance over at the newcomers. Her face goes neutral, and she walks over to them. Seeing this, Aleksis finishes pouring a drink for an engineer and joins his wife. Sasha crosses her arms and waits for the Hansens to continue.

Herc smiles, hoping his son will follow suit. He does not. Nevertheless, Herc rallies and says, “What are you listening to?”

“What?” Sasha leans a bit closer.

Herc sighs a little. He nearly has to shout to be heard. “What are you listening to?”

Sasha’s smile is fierce, all teeth. “Desecrated Goatmaster. Do you like it?”

“It’s, er, not my thing,” Herc replies.

“Oh?” Sasha raises her eyebrows. “You don’t like metal?” Next to her, Aleksis grins.

Herc grits his teeth a moment. “I love metal, but at this volume…” He pauses, considering his wording.

Chuck offers, “It’s too bloody loud!”

Herc adds, “You’re going to blow your speakers out.” Truth be told, the sound quality of the radio has already degraded, the damage likely permanent.

“You’re right!” Sasha says. She laughs, and Aleksis joins her. She continues, “We will need to get a better sound system!”

“That’s not what I meant!” Herc protests, but the Russian pilots are already turning away from him to return to their conversations.

Chuck takes a step forward, his face starting to redden. “Now just wait one minute!”

Herc takes his son by the arm and steers him back toward Striker Eureka. “Come on. This is getting us nowhere.”

When they are far enough away that they can talk comfortably, Chuck fumes, “The bloody nerve! They just got here, and they’re acting like they own the place!”

Herc’s forehead creases in concern. The Australians have just arrived as well, but he has to accede to his son’s point. “Those Russians have some cheek, it’s true.”

“I’d like to see someone take them down a peg,” Chuck insists. He casts a look of fury back over his shoulder.

“Asking us whether we like metal…!” Herc grumbles.

“I have a proper radio in my quarters,” Chuck says. “I’ll bring it by tomorrow.”

There is a part of Herc that knows that this could escalate, but he is annoyed enough that he sets those thoughts aside. He reasons that a little one-upmanship between the crews might even build team spirit. “Okay, let’s do it,” he says.

Chuck grins. “Too right! Let’s show those Kaidanovskys what real metal sounds like!”

* * *

The next day, Chuck arrives with his sound system carefully arranged on a pushcart. Chuck clearly takes great pride in it, as it is lovingly covered with stickers for his favorite bands. Herc and some of the Striker Eureka crew help him set up. By the time they have everything plugged in, the Russians have already started their music, their radio once more struggling to rise to the occasion.

A smug smile lingers on Chuck’s face as he selects an album, cranks the volume, and starts to play it. Heroic guitars wail over the Jaeger bay. Herc and Chuck exchange looks of victory: their music is clearly drowning out the Russians’.

The Australians start their daily tasks. The engineers soon give up on trying to talk, and instead type out messages to each other on their tablets. Despite the inconvenience, spirits are high, and people occasionally glance over at the Russians to see how they will react.

The Wei brothers and their team over by Crimson Typhoon nudge each other and laugh about the unfolding rivalry.

The Russians play the loudest band they have, and even try to sing along with it to bolster the volume, but Chainsaw Liturgy turns out to be too much for their radio, which devolves to garbled squawks before Sasha turns it off. She and her husband march off in the direction of Striker Eureka.

Herc and Chuck meet them halfway, which is far enough from Chuck’s sound system that they can talk mostly normally.

Chuck smiles in triumph. “So, thrown in the towel, have ya?”

Sasha places her hands on her hips. “As you heard, our radio gave out.”

Herc opens his eyes in mock surprise. “Did it? We couldn’t tell. Sounded the same to us.”

Sasha flaps a hand in the direction of the Australian team. “What is this you are listening to?”

“Chalice of Fury,” Chuck says proudly. “Good stuff, eh?”

Aleksis snorts. With a sneer, Sasha says, “Just wait until our new sound system arrives. Then we will see what you think of your Angry Cup.”

* * *

The next day, the Russians arrive with an enormous, brand-new sound system. The Kaidanovskys are decked out in black trench coats and chains, and Sasha has swapped her usual red lipstick for black. They crank the volume, insert earplugs, and let loose.

At first, the Australians try to work through it, but when Herc notices that the wrenches in a toolbox are rattling together from the noise, he has to go over and say something. Chuck follows him, glowering at the Russians’ thunderous sound system.

Sasha and Aleksis are waiting for him, arms folded and fingers tapping on their arms to the fevered pace of the drums. Aleksis gives a slow, satisfied smile, but Sasha’s face remains cool and composed.

Herc leans into the music, as though it might blow him away. “Could you turn it down, please?” He can’t even hear his own voice.

“What?” Sasha roars back.

Herc realizes that it will come down to reading lips, so he makes sure to enunciate each word clearly, “Could you turn it down, please?”

Sasha’s voice is a whisper in a cacophony. “Don’t you want to know what we are listening to first?”

Herc gives a hopeless look at Chuck, who has more experience with ultraloud concerts and is better at hearing through them. The younger Hansen yells, “What bank is this?”

Sasha and Aleksis exchange tight-lipped smiles of triumph, then simultaneously throwing open their trench coats, revealing that they are both wearing t-shirts bearing the absurdly spiky logo of Final Affliction.

The Kaidanovskys laugh, the sound swept away by the avalanche of noise, before finally turning the music off. Their eyes are alight with victory.

As the Hansens walk back to Striker Eureka, though, Chuck taps his father on the arm. “If they think they’ve won, they’ve got another thing coming.”

* * *

The Australians get started early the next morning, so that by the time the Russians arrive, they are greeted with a wall of speakers stacked near Striker Eureka. Herc and Chuck pass out heavy-duty hearing protection for everyone on the crew. They even bring hearing protection for the crew of Crimson Typhoon, out of respect for them having to work in the Jaeger bay, too. The Kaidanovskys and their crew find a pile of acoustic earmuffs and earplugs waiting for them at their workstations, with the Striker Eureka logo proudly emblazoned on them.

Herc and Chuck stand beside the computer hooked up to the speakers. They are both wearing leather jackets. Herc, to Chuck’s regret, is wearing leather pants; Chuck is wearing blue jeans. Once everyone has their hearing protection ready, Herc presses ‘Play’ on the sound system.

Aleksis and Sasha involuntarily hold onto nearby equipment crates as the air feels heavy with sound. Mugs, tools, pens, and pencils skitter over the tops of the crates. With his bristling eyebrows drawn down in concentration, Aleksis strides toward the source of the noise, with Sasha marching behind him as though he is blazing a trail through the sound.

When they are face to face with the Hansens, the Kaidanovskys stand, arms folded, and wait. Chuck raises a hand to his right ear, cupping it around the earmuff as though trying to listen to what they might say. After several moments, Aleksis raises his arms in a question, miming, _who are you listening to?_

Chuck and Herc exchange terse smiles before turning around. They both have the chrome-colored Angelblade logo emblazoned on the backs of their jackets. With their message delivered, and confident that they have won, the Hansens turn off the sound.

They do not have much time to gloat, because they see Newt Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb hurrying across the Jaeger bay toward them. Hermann is moving as fast as he can with his cane, with Newt alternating between hurrying ahead and slowing down to let Hermann catch up.

When the scientists reach the Hansens and the Kaidanovskys, Hermann is so out of breath that all he can do is gasp and lean on his cane. Newt, too, is out of breath, but that doesn’t stop him.

“Okay, cool, let me just start by saying that, regardless of what Hermann says, I think your tunes have been totally bangin’, and I’m sorry to have to ask you to stop.”

Hermann’s eyes bulge with indignation, and he sputters, “It is most certainly not ‘banging!’” He pauses to gulp down a breath before continuing. “Unless you are referring to the sounds of your specimen jars knocking against each other!”

“Yeah,” Newt admits, patting Hermann’s arm in a conciliatory way and earning a glare in return, “It would really suck if one of those were to break. They’re pretty hard to replace.”

Hermann draws himself up, making an effort to control his breathing. “Not to mention the mess it would cause!”

Newt looks at Sasha, Aleksis, Herc, and Chuck in turn. “So yeah, do you think you could maybe cool it with the music?”

Herc has the good grace to look ashamed. “Sorry. I know it got out of hand. We’ll stop here, promise.”

Hermann and Newt look at the Kaidanovskys. Sasha nods. “We will stop, too. Our apologies.”

Hermann looks momentarily at a loss for what to do next. “Well… all right, then. No harm, no foul, I suppose. Thank you for your understanding.”

Hermann hesitates for a few more moments, then turns and starts to head back. “Come along, Newton.”

Newt gives the Hansens and Kaidanovskys a double thumbs-up. “Thanks, dudes!” He turns and hurries after Hermann.

Chuck smiles slowly. “Guess that means we won, huh?”

Aleksis draws himself up taller, frowning. Herc hurriedly adds, “We’ll call it a tie!”

“A truce,” Sasha clarifies.

Herc blinks. “What do you mean?”

Sasha smiles. “You will see.”

* * *

The Hansens do not have to wait long to find out what Sasha has planned for them. A few days later, they are waiting in line at the cafeteria when the Kaidanovskys get in line behind them. Chuck and Herc give them wary looks, but the Russians seem focused on talking together, seeming to pay the Australians no mind.

Herc and Chuck have just gotten their trays and started filling them when they both jump to the sudden guttural roar of Halo of Ashes blasting from a radio Aleksis has produced from his jacket.

Everyone in the cafeteria turns to see the Hansens fuming as they clean up the spilled food on their trays while the Kaidanovskys cut in front of them in line, looking supremely proud of themselves.

“Truce, eh?” Herc grumbles. He turns to Chuck and can tell from his son’s face that he is already work on a plan.

Later that day, Sasha and Aleksis are sparring with staves in the Kwoon Combat Room. Suddenly, the screaming guitars of Huntsman ring out. Aleksis stumbles, and Sasha smacks him in the shin with her staff. Aleksis cries out, and they both turn to glare at the Hansens, who stand nearby with their own radio.

It continues like that for a few days: Sasha ambushes Chuck in the gym with Fell Creature. Herc surprises Sasha in the mess hall with White Wyvern. Aleksis interrupts Herc in the bathroom with Carrion Queen. Chuck startles Aleksis in the corridors with Giantsblood.

They all know the metal melee cannot go on forever, but none of them is willing to throw in the towel. When they receive a message to meet in the Jaeger bay, they already know what it is about.

The Jaeger bay looks empty when the Hansens and the Kaidanovsksys arrive. They walk to the center of the bay, looking around for who called the meeting.

[ _[Click here and continue reading when the song begins.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4bgXH3sJ2Q)_ ]

Suddenly, the sound of guitars fills the room: someone is playing music over the room’s PA system. Sasha points up, and the others follow her gaze to the LOCCENT Mission Control room overlooking the bay: there, Tendo Choi can be seen standing in the window, lifting an old-fashioned boombox above his head. Cords lead from the boombox to the computers.

“Tendo!” Herc calls up, his voice carrying over the sound of driving guitars punctuated by drums. “Is this your idea?”

Tendo does not move. At this distance, it is hard to tell, but perhaps he smiles a little. The guitars rise as the drums now join in earnest.

Sasha shakes her head. “I do not think this is Tendo’s doing.”

As she says it, Stacker Pentecost steps up to the Mission Control center window, his back straight and his hands clasped behind him. He looks down on them, his face impassive.

“Stacker, I--” Chuck begins, but Herc places a hand on his shoulder.

“Just a moment,” he says.

Chuck looks at his father, his mouth open with a question written across his face. “What--?”

Aleksis looks as confused as Chuck. “Marshall, we--”

Sasha lifts a finger and places it over Aleksis’s lips. “Herc is right. Just wait.”

The lyrics begin:

_You’ll take my life, but I’ll take yours, too,_  
_You fire your musket, but I’ll run you through,_  
_So when you’re waiting for the next attack,_  
_You’d better stand, there’s no turning back!_  
_The bugle sounds, the charge begins,_  
_But on this battlefield, no-one wins,_  
_The smell of acrid smoke and horse’s breath,_  
_As we plunge on into certain death!_

Slowly, majestically, Stacker lifts his hands into the air. His hands form fists, then his index finger and little finger raise up.

Herc, Chuck, Sasha, and Aleksis bow their heads. The contest is over. It is clear who has won.

**Author's Note:**

> The funnest part was coming up with names for metal bands in 2025!
> 
> Thanks to [cypress-tree](http://cypress-tree.tumblr.com/) for putting together the [Pacrim Holiday Swap](http://pacrimholidayswap.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
